path: root/doc/package.n

'\"
'\" Copyright (c) 1996 Sun Microsystems, Inc.
'\"
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'\" RCS: @(#) $Id: package.n,v 1.2.4.1 1999/03/03 00:38:37 stanton Exp $
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.so man.macros
.TH package n 7.5 Tcl "Tcl Built-In Commands"
.BS
'\" Note:  do not modify the .SH NAME line immediately below!
.SH NAME
package \- Facilities for package loading and version control
.SH SYNOPSIS
.nf
\fBpackage forget \fIpackage\fR
\fBpackage ifneeded \fIpackage version\fR ?\fIscript\fR?
\fBpackage names\fR
\fBpackage present \fR?\fB\-exact\fR? \fIpackage \fR?\fIversion\fR?
\fBpackage provide \fIpackage \fR?\fIversion\fR?
\fBpackage require \fR?\fB\-exact\fR? \fIpackage \fR?\fIversion\fR?
\fBpackage unknown \fR?\fIcommand\fR?
\fBpackage vcompare \fIversion1 version2\fR
\fBpackage versions \fIpackage\fR
\fBpackage vsatisfies \fIversion1 version2\fR
.fi
.BE

.SH DESCRIPTION
.PP
This command keeps a simple database of the packages available for
use by the current interpreter and how to load them into the
interpreter.
It supports multiple versions of each package and arranges
for the correct version of a package to be loaded based on what
is needed by the application.
This command also detects and reports version clashes.
Typically, only the \fBpackage require\fR and \fBpackage provide\fR
commands are invoked in normal Tcl scripts;  the other commands are used
primarily by system scripts that maintain the package database.
.PP
The behavior of the \fBpackage\fR command is determined by its first argument.
The following forms are permitted:
.TP
\fBpackage forget \fIpackage\fR
Removes all information about \fIpackage\fR from this interpreter,
including information provided by both \fBpackage ifneeded\fR and
\fBpackage provide\fR.
.TP
\fBpackage ifneeded \fIpackage version\fR ?\fIscript\fR?
This command typically appears only in system configuration
scripts to set up the package database.
It indicates that a particular version of
a particular package is available if needed, and that the package
can be added to the interpreter by executing \fIscript\fR.
The script is saved in a database for use by subsequent
\fBpackage require\fR commands;  typically, \fIscript\fR
sets up auto-loading for the commands in the package (or calls
\fBload\fR and/or \fBsource\fR directly), then invokes
\fBpackage provide\fR to indicate that the package is present.
There may be information in the database for several different
versions of a single package.
If the database already contains information for \fIpackage\fR
and \fIversion\fR, the new \fIscript\fR replaces the existing
one.
If the \fIscript\fR argument is omitted, the current script for
version \fIversion\fR of package \fIpackage\fR is returned,
or an empty string if no \fBpackage ifneeded\fR command has
been invoked for this \fIpackage\fR and \fIversion\fR.
.TP
\fBpackage names\fR
Returns a list of the names of all packages in the
interpreter for which a version has been provided (via
\fBpackage provide\fR) or for which a \fBpackage ifneeded\fR
script is available.
The order of elements in the list is arbitrary.
.TP
\fBpackage present \fR?\fB\-exact\fR? \fIpackage \fR?\fIversion\fR?
This command is equivalent to \fBpackage require\fR except that it
does not try and load the package if it is not already loaded.
.TP
\fBpackage provide \fIpackage \fR?\fIversion\fR?
This command is invoked to indicate that version \fIversion\fR
of package \fIpackage\fR is now present in the interpreter.
It is typically invoked once as part of an \fBifneeded\fR script,
and again by the package itself when it is finally loaded.
An error occurs if a different version of \fIpackage\fR has been
provided by a previous \fBpackage provide\fR command.
If the \fIversion\fR argument is omitted, then the command
returns the version number that is currently provided, or an
empty string if no \fBpackage provide\fR command has been
invoked for \fIpackage\fR in this interpreter.
.TP
\fBpackage require \fR?\fB\-exact\fR? \fIpackage \fR?\fIversion\fR?
This command is typically invoked by Tcl code that wishes to use
a particular version of a particular package.  The arguments
indicate which package is wanted, and the command ensures that
a suitable version of the package is loaded into the interpreter.
If the command succeeds, it returns the version number that is
loaded;  otherwise it generates an error.
If both the \fB\-exact\fR
switch and the \fIversion\fR argument are specified then only the
given version is acceptable.  If \fB\-exact\fR is omitted but
\fIversion\fR is specified, then versions later than \fIversion\fR
are also acceptable as long as they have the same major version
number as \fIversion\fR.
If both \fB\-exact\fR and \fIversion\fR are omitted then any
version whatsoever is acceptable.
If a version of \fIpackage\fR has already been provided (by invoking
the \fBpackage provide\fR command), then its version number must
satisfy the criteria given by \fB\-exact\fR and \fIversion\fR and
the command returns immediately.
Otherwise, the command searches the database of information provided by
previous \fBpackage ifneeded\fR commands to see if an acceptable
version of the package is available.
If so, the script for the highest acceptable version number is invoked;
it must do whatever is necessary to load the package,
including calling \fBpackage provide\fR for the package.
If the \fBpackage ifneeded\fR database does not contain an acceptable
version of the package and a \fBpackage unknown\fR command has been
specified for the interpreter then that command is invoked;  when
it completes, Tcl checks again to see if the package is now provided
or if there is a \fBpackage ifneeded\fR script for it.
If all of these steps fail to provide an acceptable version of the
package, then the command returns an error.
.TP
\fBpackage unknown \fR?\fIcommand\fR?
This command supplies a ``last resort'' command to invoke during
\fBpackage require\fR if no suitable version of a package can be found
in the \fBpackage ifneeded\fR database.
If the \fIcommand\fR argument is supplied, it contains the first part
of a command;  when the command is invoked during a \fBpackage require\fR
command, Tcl appends two additional arguments giving the desired package
name and version.
For example, if \fIcommand\fR is \fBfoo bar\fR and later the command
\fBpackage require test 2.4\fR is invoked, then Tcl will execute
the command \fBfoo bar test 2.4\fR to load the package.
If no version number is supplied to the \fBpackage require\fR command,
then the version argument for the invoked command will be an empty string.
If the \fBpackage unknown\fR command is invoked without a \fIcommand\fR
argument, then the current \fBpackage unknown\fR script is returned,
or an empty string if there is none.
If \fIcommand\fR is specified as an empty string, then the current
\fBpackage unknown\fR script is removed, if there is one.
.TP
\fBpackage vcompare \fIversion1 version2\fR
Compares the two version numbers given by \fIversion1\fR and \fIversion2\fR.
Returns -1 if \fIversion1\fR is an earlier version than \fIversion2\fR,
0 if they are equal, and 1 if \fIversion1\fR is later than \fBversion2\fR.
.TP
\fBpackage versions \fIpackage\fR
Returns a list of all the version numbers of \fIpackage\fR
for which information has been provided by \fBpackage ifneeded\fR
commands.
.TP
\fBpackage vsatisfies \fIversion1 version2\fR
Returns 1 if scripts written for \fIversion2\fR will work unchanged
with \fIversion1\fR (i.e. \fIversion1\fR is equal to or greater
than \fIversion2\fR and they both have the same major version
number), 0 otherwise.

.SH "VERSION NUMBERS"
.PP
Version numbers consist of one or more decimal numbers separated
by dots, such as 2 or 1.162 or 3.1.13.1.
The first number is called the major version number.
Larger numbers correspond to later versions of a package, with
leftmost numbers having greater significance.
For example, version 2.1 is later than 1.3 and version
3.4.6 is later than 3.3.5.
Missing fields are equivalent to zeroes:  version 1.3 is the
same as version 1.3.0 and 1.3.0.0, so it is earlier than 1.3.1 or 1.3.0.2.
A later version number is assumed to be upwards compatible with
an earlier version number as long as both versions have the same
major version number.
For example, Tcl scripts written for version 2.3 of a package should
work unchanged under versions 2.3.2, 2.4, and 2.5.1.
Changes in the major version number signify incompatible changes:
if code is written to use version 2.1 of a package, it is not guaranteed
to work unmodified with either version 1.7.3 or version 3.1.

.SH "PACKAGE INDICES"
.PP
The recommended way to use packages in Tcl is to invoke \fBpackage require\fR
and \fBpackage provide\fR commands in scripts, and use the procedure
\fBpkg_mkIndex\fR to create package index files.
Once you've done this, packages will be loaded automatically
in response to \fBpackage require\fR commands.
See the documentation for \fBpkg_mkIndex\fR for details.

.SH KEYWORDS
package, version